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Executives at Toronto, Ontario-based group of motion picture theaters Imax Corp. will be watching the film "The Matrix Revolutions," most closely. The film opened on November 5, 2003 on 48 North American and 12 international Imax screens alongside the worldwide release of the 35mm edition. The opening marks the culmination of a strategy that the company has been pursuing for 18 months. Its goal is to transform the company's operation from a group of theaters predominantly associated with museums and other institutions that show educational fare to a more commercial enterprise that attracts event films from the major studios. If the strategy works, more studios are likely to invest the $3 million-S4 million it takes to transform a 35mm print into the Imax format, making it part of their distribution strategy — and hopefully a new revenue generator.

The article reports that AMC Theatres recently concluded its two-week exclusive run of Lions Gate's film "The Final Cut," starring Robin Williams, Mira Sorvino and Jim Caviezel. The run was an experiment of sorts, marking the first film from a major distributor to bow exclusively on AMC's proprietary Digital Theatre Distribution System, a system now used for its pre-show advertising content and one far beneath the technical standards being set by the seven major studios. Distributors, exhibitors and filmmakers are watching its outcome. If the exclusive screening drew hordes of fans, industry insiders might question the work going on to implement digital cinema nationwide.

This article presents information on the environment at the Loews Broadway Cinemas 4 in Santa Monica, California. The author went to see the film "Dodgeball." Armed with a half-dozen toys, a jar of applesauce and all the other necessary accouterments for getting through a couple of hours with an infant, the author settled into his seat. The lights were only dimmed, so the theater wasn't as dark as usual. The sound was lowered to a moderate level so one could lessen his/her concern for the little ones' eardrums. In fact, mothers and fathers and their babies were strewn all over the place, from changing diapers in aisles to rocking babies in the back of the theater.

This article reports that Loews Cineplex Entertainment Corp., along with online dating company Lavalifc, Svedka Vodka and Joe Boxer, are trying out a unique mating ritual they call Click at a Flick whereby rather than taking a first date to the movies, singles are meeting each other at the theater. The concept seems to be working. Launched on August 11, at Loews' 34th Street theater in New York, Click at a Flick outfitted the auditorium with music, lounge seating, tarot cards, spin the bottle and other ice-breaking party games for 330 full-price ticketpaying adults. Loews plans to roll out the program in Boston, Los Angeles and Chicago during the next two months, presenting singles with the opportunity to click every other Wednesday night.

The article presents information on movie advertisement. Walking into a movie theater today is no longer all about the movies. What used to be a time for movie buffs to view coming attractions and for movie marketers to reach an engaged audience is now an opportunity for advertisers of all consumer products to target a very desired demographic. Whether it's automobile ads or commercials for video games, more and more nonendemic advertisers have been finding their way onto the big screen in the past few years. The Cinema Advertising Council released its first numbers on its burgeoning industry, and the results confirm what many marketers and theater executives already knew: Theater advertising is a compelling alternative to TV commercials.

Imax's release of "Potter" marks the fourth film to use the Toronto based company's new technology, which transforms 35mm film into the larger-scale format. Its earlier efforts include Warners' "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions" and Universal Pictures' rerelease of Ron Howard's "Apollo 13"." Now transforming films into the larger format makes an Imax theater in a commercial location much more compelling. Since March 2002, when Imax introduced the technology, the company has built 49 additional theaters.